Boarding School
by thatawkwardwalrus
Summary: Levy McGarden has been sent to Fairy Tail Academy - a boarding school, by her parents who really don't care for her. And their excuse? That she reads too much and doesn't socialize enough. Maybe it's true, but it's certainly no reason to send your child away. But Levy is bound to have one heck of an experience in this crazy school. Rated T. GaLe, NaLu, Gruvia, and some others.
1. Chapter 1: Unknown Hero

Boarding School

Chapter 1: Unknown Hero

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The gates to Fairy Tail Academy seemed to taunt me as my mom's car pulled into one of the parking spaces. Fairy Tail Academy was this boarding school that my parents were forcing me to go to because they thought I was "antisocial" and I "needed more friends besides my books." I didn't even have any mental problems, I wasn't depressed, I didn't have anger issues, I wasn't getting drunk, or anything like that. But according to my parents, I was too book crazy, which was an absolutely stupid excuse to send me away. I think they just didn't like caring for me. It was frustrating, but I was pretty sure my own parents really didn't give a damn about me.

Truth be told, I didn't need any friends. I was sort of used to being caught up in a book by now, and I did talk to my fellow classmates at my old school. And nobody indicated that they thought something was wrong with me, besides the fact that they thought I was "uncool" to read so much, especially for a 16 year old girl.

I reluctantly got out of the shiny van my mom owned, and as she waved good-bye, I approached the school that would be my home for the next two years, my suitcase holding a dozen books – that was all I was allowed to bring. I figured that my dorm and class assignments would be waiting in the "Student Services" building. When I got inside, a lady was sitting behind the counter. Except, that this lady seemed at least tipsy and was wearing only a blue bra top and brown pants. What the hell?

"Excuse me," I said to the woman, "Is this where I'm supposed to receive my dorm and class assignments?"

The lady looked up at me, her brown hair hanging loosely over her shoulders. "Yup, this is where all that crap's at. My name's Cana, how can I help you?"

"Um, I'm Levy McGarden, and I was wondering if you had my dorm and class assignments in your database," I informed her.

"Here you go." Cana handed me the schedules and information after merely one second.

"Thanks," I said and quickly left. There was something wrong with this boarding school if they accepted someone like Cana as a staff member.

My dorm room was in building A, and it was number 16. After about 5 minutes of locating my dorm, I used the key I was given by Cana to open it.

"Oh, hi!" A girl who was apparently my roommate looked up from her suitcase filled with clothes, make up, and all sorts of gadgets. There were two other suitcases with her though, so she had certainly bought quite a bit. My blonde roommate spoke again after I was done with my analysis of her belongings. "I'm Lucy Heartfilia. What's your name?"

"I'm Levy McGarden," I introduced myself, raising my hand as a weak attempt to wave. In all honestly, I already felt like a nobody compared to Lucy. She was freaking perfect. Blonde hair, brown eyes, long legs, and she was... developed. And here I was trying to compare to her with my choppy blue hair and tiny body, that was, I guess you could say, immature.

"Well come on in," Lucy beckoned with an award-winning smile, waving me in. I walked over to what was apparently my half of the room and set my suitcase down on the white, fluffy sheets of my bed. Lucy conspicuously leaned over to look at my belongings as I opened up my suitcase.

"So you like to read?" Lucy asked. "I like reading too!"

At that comment, I perked up. So she may be intimidating with her perfectness, but she was nice _and_ she liked books! Maybe I would actually end up liking this girl.

"Yeah, reading's my life," I replied with a smile on my face. There was certainly no hyperbole there.

"Oh yeah, what classes do you have?" Lucy cocked her head, and I quickly looked down at my list.

"Well I have, Pre-Cal first period, then AP Biology, AP American History, Ceramics, AP English, and then… Magical History? What's that?"

"Oh yeah, Magical History is this weird class required by Makarov, our principal, each year for every student. It's kind of a funky class. I doubt half of it is real. But on the other hand, I we have all the same classes together except for Ceramics!"

"Great!" I smiled. "Actually, do you know where a library is on campus?" I inquired – I need to get some books, it was driving me insane.

"It's just across the campus next to the M classroom building," Lucy told me.

"Thanks!" I replied happily. "I'll see you soon, I wanted to check out the school's collection. I wasn't allowed to bring anymore books with me than the ones in my suitcase, so I need to get some more."

"Alright, bye!" Lucy waved as I left the room, walking in the direction Lucy had recommended.

Inevitably, I got lost on my way to the library. At the moment, I was walking down a narrow passageway between classroom buildings Q and R, and it seemed as if I was going to reach a dead end. It was still around noon time, and I had plenty of time to find my way to the library, so I turned around. My eyes widened as I saw two burly, scary looking guys – probably seniors – eyeing me like I was some sort of prey. They both took a step closer to me, and I couldn't move anywhere, there was only a gate behind me.

"E-e-excuse me," I stammered, trying to figure the easiest way around them.

"Not so fast little girl," one of them snickered.

"Yeah, let's have some fun." The other guy grabbed my elbow. I tried to squirm out of his firm grip, but I was unable to – my miniature stature wasn't helping. Guy Number 1, as I decided to call him, grabbed my other elbow, slowly licking his lips. I whimpered; there was nowhere to do – I could probably try screaming, but I hadn't seen anyone out and about before I walked into the passageway. Guy Number 2 leaned in a bit closer as I shrunk back. All of a sudden, there was a whack as Guy Number 2 fell to the ground, and then a crack as Guy Number 1 was punched in the nose. It all happened so fast, I was unable to tell who had beaten up the two guys. All I saw was that he – I knew it was a "he" because of his bulk – had long, wild black hair, and I also saw something shiny, studs? But in the blink of an eye, he was gone, and I hurried out of the passage way, with Guy Number 1 and Guy Number 2 lying hurt on the floor. Well there was no way in heck I was going to go back there.

After I shook off what just happened, I was able to find the library in fifteen minutes and check out a couple books – mostly crime and mystery. Maybe these would help me figure out who my hero was.

I couldn't concentrate on my books though – it was impossible to stop thinking about which stranger saved me. I felt obligated to find out who he was and thank him. Wait no, obligated wouldn't be the right word, I _needed_ to figure out who my hero was. Maybe he'd be in one of my classes and I would be able to find out as soon as tomorrow. Most likely not though. Whoever he was, I suspected he didn't want me to see his face because if he did, he would've stuck around.

That experience also kind of reinforced my faith in humanity. Originally, I thought that sort of thing only happened in books, but apparently not. For someone to help out a complete stranger… that takes some chivalry. I bet my hero was some sort of prince, with a perfect smile, always helping everyone out, just absolutely perfect. So maybe I didn't know who my hero was for now. But I knew that I would find out someday – maybe I'd meet my "Prince Charming" in the process. It was a bit of a girly hope, but still…

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**Author's note:**

**Well there goes chapter one of **_**Boarding School.**_** I do have a good feeling for this story, and I'm excited about what will happen with it. Definitely a high school drama though, and I can't wait to see what I will conjure up just as much as I hope you're excited too. Of course, I always accept constructive criticism on my writing style – I'm always looking to get better! Also, don't be afraid to point out grammatical errors or tell me what you hope will happen next. Please R&R!**


	2. Chapter 2: First Day Of School

Boarding School

Chapter 2: First Day of School

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The next day, I woke up in my plush bed at 5:30 am, thanks to Lucy's alarm clock. I rubbed my tired eyes and slowly got out of bed. I was so exhausted; how do people get up this early? But Lucy seemed perky as ever, as she was already out of bed and picking out an outfit for the day. Once I was finally out of my bed, I rummaged through my suitcase to find an acceptable outfit. Luckily, each outfit was pretty similar, so I ended up with an orange vest, denim shorts, and a white undershirt with sneakers. I figured it would be alright. Lucy, on the other hand, looked great in a miniskirt and a blue tank top, and high heels, and I wondered how you could walk in heels that high. But she still looked amazing, and it was not fair at all.

I walked into the bathroom that we shared, luckily it had two sinks, and I brushed out my unruly, short, blue hair before putting on a bit of mascara and some peach lip gloss after I brushed and flossed my teeth. The day before, I had decided to look around the campus to get an idea of where my classes were, so I wouldn't get lost again. What if my hero was in one of my classes? I couldn't help but think about him, and if he was, I would want to try and look good, so I put on some eye shadow and blush. That was good enough, I thought, as I was never the type of person to wear a full face of makeup. Looking to the left, Lucy was busy with her makeup, which was a full face this time.

By the time we were done getting ready, it was 7:30, 15 minutes before class started. As Lucy left the dorm room, she beckoned me to follow her, so I did.

"You need to meet my friends," Lucy told me, "They may be a bit crazy, but that's part of their appeal. I'm pretty sure they all have the same first period as us, except for Erza, because she's in AP Calculus right now. She's crazy when it comes to grade. But Natsu, Gray, Juvia, Mirajane, Freed, Jellal, and Gajeel should all be in our class. Let me warn you, Natsu, Gajeel, and Gray love pulling pranks on each other, but usually they end up getting someone else. Oh, and you should meet Wendy and Chelia too, but they're freshman, so we won't have classes with them.

This was sort of a lot to take in because I never had any friends back home, except for maybe Jet and Droy, but they were more like fanboys than anything. Anyways, I nodded – they sounded nice enough.

When we walked into our Pre-Cal class taught by Mr. Gildarts, I noticed there was a tripwire in the doorway, so I stopped before I walked in. Unfortunately, Lucy didn't have the same luck as me. "Watch out Lucy!" I yelled, but it was too late. Lucy was drenched head to toe with ice water.

"NATSU!" Lucy yelled when she saw Natsu, or at least, a pink haired guy who appeared to be the subject of Lucy's yelling, rolling around the floor in a fit of laughter. "WHAT THE HELL?"

Natsu froze, looking up from his position on the floor. I stayed behind Lucy, quiet as ever, I didn't want to intrude. "Oops," Natsu said, "That was meant for Gray or Gajeel. Sorry, Luce."

Lucy was still fuming, and I couldn't help but feel bad for her. However, my pity was short lasted, as a shadow settled over me. Turning around, I saw a massive guy with long black hair, and many metal piercings. He was sort of scary, with his bulging muscles, and angry demeanor. "What was meant for Gray or me?" he asked. I assumed this was Gajeel, as his names was one of the names mentioned by Natsu and Lucy.

"Natsu was going to pour water on you and Gray," Lucy snitched.

"The heck?!" A guy yelled from his seat. The weird thing about this guy was that he was butt-ass naked. I grimaced when I looked at him.

"Hmph," Gajeel puffed as he went to sit down in his assigned seat. "Go sit down, Natsu," he ordered in a kind of threatening voice.

"Whatever," Natsu replied to Gajeel as he went to sit in his seat. Right after, he jumped up. Looking at his chair, there was a ton of metal tacks. Gajeel was laughing his head off.

A red haired man walked into the room, who I assumed was Mr. Gildarts, with his teacher-like posture and sense of authority. "Alright class, settle down and set your lazy asses in your seats. And Gray, put on some clothes," he demanded in a kind of joking manner. But still, everyone sat in their seats, and I ended up sitting next to a sweet-looking, beautiful, white-haired girl and Natsu, who was still fuming with anger at Gajeel. Also, Gray looked down at himself in disbelief, and scrambled to put on some clothes. There was also this blue haired girl next to Gray who was staring intently at Gray, and had hearts in her eyes.

"Gray is so beautiful," she murmured, loud enough for me to hear. I shrugged it off and focused on Mr. Gildarts. During the 45 minute period, however, I found myself drifting off and thinking about my hero. It was weird, though, but when I thought about it, Gajeel did bear some weird resemblance to my hero. They both had the same hair, and the studs along Gajeel's face would make sense because I remembered seeing studs on my hero. But I didn't think Gajeel was my hero though. He didn't seem like the type of guy to save a random stranger. He was more or less a delinquent, and if anything, he was scary enough to be one of the guys who harassed me. I knew he wasn't – he looked nothing like them – but he certainly seemed scary enough.

Next period, I noticed some different individuals and found out their names. There was Erza, a fierce looking redhead who also turned out to be a genius, Jellal, who was mysterious and brooding with his blue hair and red tattoo on his face, Freed, who had long green hair – he was very classy, Juvia, the girl who had been fawning over Gray in math class, Loke, who had wild orange hair, and was a huge flirt, and finally, there was Elfman, who was larger than Gajeel, and kept screaming the phrase, "man." It was even weirder that he was Mirajane's brother because they were nothing like each other. Everyone else in our class weren't any of Lucy's friends, and they were much less noticeable except for a few people whose names I didn't know. Also, Gajeel, Natsu, and Gray weren't in our class, I assumed they weren't as academically strong as the rest of us.

Throughout the period, I only actually talked to Erza, Mirajane, Lucy, and Freed, but it was easy to figure out who the rest were. This class was also a lot less hectic, as the main troublemakers weren't in our class. But our Biology teacher, Mr. Happy, was certainly strange. First of all, he was a blue cat. Second of all, he kept getting off topic during the class and talked about fish. And lastly, he could freaking speak. This was one heck of a school.

AP American History only had me, Lucy, Erza, and Mirajane in it. It was an overall normal class, or at least as normal as it seemed to get in Fairy Tail Academy. Our teacher was Mrs. Aquarius, who was kind of strict and liked to pick on Lucy. At least in this class, it was generally quiet and a productive environment because this class only contained the good students. I was actually surprised at how smart Lucy was, she didn't look like the type of girl to have a perfect GPA, but of course, she was. And Erza was the student who always raised her hand and got the answer right, but she wasn't a complete snobby brat either. But she was certainly the most intense of Lucy's friends, with her stare that seemed to cut right through you. However, she was really nice when I talked to her.

Finally, it was time for lunch. Lucy led me over to a big table in the cafeteria, with Erza and Mirajane following me. Already seated were Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel, the three delinquents as I liked to call them. I took a seat next to Erza and Lucy, and across from Mirajane. After a minute, everyone else arrived: Elfman, Juvia, Freed, Jellal, Loke, and two other girls who were smaller and hadn't been in any of my classes. I found out that their names were Wendy and Chelia, the girls who Lucy had mentioned earlier.

Lunch was much crazier than math class, as there was a huge food fight between the three delinquents. Except it wasn't all food: Gray threw snowcones, Natsu threw these really spicy ghost peppers, and Gajeel threw… spoons? It was all crazy, but for the most part I chatted with Lucy and Juvia, Juvia fangirling over Gray almost the whole time. Damn, that girl had a huge crush on Gray. I really didn't understand it, Gray was a walking stripper and delinquent, so I couldn't understand where she was coming from. Erza for the most part was trying to keep the three delinquents in control, but to no avail. In the end, she ended up fighting with them. Also, I found out that Mirajane and Freed were dating. Jellal was mostly being his quiet and brooding self, Loke was flirting with all the girls, and Wendy and Chelia were having their own giggly conversation.

I really liked this group of crazy people though. They all just had this insane and lovable quality that made them so awesome. I was happy where I was, and even though it was my first day, I felt like I had known them all forever. But mostly because none of them had any shame. So thanks, awful parents, because here, I felt like I could be me without anyone telling me I had weird introvert problems.

Next period, I had Ceramics with Gajeel and Juvia. We all sat at the same ceramics table, but I was still kind of afraid of Gajeel, even though I knew he wasn't the type to harass anyone except for Natsu and Gray, but that was normal. I think the scary part about him was that he was so huge, and most of the time, he wore a scowl, even though I had seen him laughing with Gray and Natsu. Well, I was sure I'd get used to it eventually. Ceramics was pretty fun though, I found out that Gajeel and Juvia had transferred here last year from Phantom Academy, so that was certainly interesting. But for the most part, I was laughing ad Juvia talked about Gray and even worked on building a clay statue of him. Gajeel was kind of funny too, he had a dry sense of humor, but I sort of liked it. I also got over the fact that he had the same appearance as my hero because he never indicated that he knew anything about the event. Of course, I never actually brought it up.

By the end of the period, I was more comfortable around Gajeel, and he was much less intimidating before. So maybe he grumbled a lot, but I figured that Gajeel and I would end up being friends, like everyone else. And I had to admit, Ceramics quickly became my favorite class because it was crazy, but not insane like Pre-Cal or quiet like AP American History. Also, this class had Gajeel in my class, and I don't know why, but I liked that. He was kind of mysterious in a way, but not in a Jellal way. I was intrigued.

After Ceramics, I had AP English. This class had Erza, Mirajane, Lucy, Elfman, and Jellal in it. It was an overall pretty fun class, and Mrs. Aries was really nice to us all. I didn't like it as much as I adored Ceramics, but I sat next to Elfman and Lucy, so it was borderline hilarious the was Elfman kept yelling "man" randomly in the middle of class. He certainly was a quirky individual. And of course, I always had a good time with Lucy, and I sort of considered her my best friend. It was a new experience for me though, because I never actually had a best friend, and it was pretty freaking awesome. I think I really liked Lucy though because even though she could be the type of girl who was mean, but still popular and pretty, she was nice and intelligent, and crazy, even though she didn't have to be.

Last period was Magical History taught by Mr. Pantherlily. Mr. Pantherlily was a lot like Mr. Happy, but weirder. Like Mr. Happy, he was a cat, but he stood on two legs and was pretty big. He also had abs, you could see them through his shirt, which was really weird. Mr. Pantherlily favored Gajeel too, you could tell pretty easily. In this class, the desks were lined up in columns that were two desks wide. I sat next to Gajeel, and it was pretty crazy throughout the class, with the three delinquents constantly pranking each other. It wasn't nearly as fun as my other classes, it was generally uninteresting. Even though we had a lot of "collaboration time," I thought that this class was taken much too seriously. I love reading fantasy and myths and all that fun stuff, but I only liked reading it for fun. Having a whole class on magical history was a bit too much.

Towards the end of class, Mr. Pantherlily announced that there would be a partner project. In this project, we would make a big poster discussing a certain magical topic. For example, some topics were fairies, wizards, dragons, alchemy, etc. The project was going to be due in two weeks, and we also had to give a presentation along with the poster, something I was not very good at doing.

Also, our partners would be the person sitting next to us. Meaning that I would be working with Gajeel, and I would have to spend time with him after school. I honestly didn't think much of the arrangement, there could be much worse. Besides, I liked Gajeel in a friendly sort of way. This would be fun. The other pairs were Natsu and Lucy, Gray and Juvia, Mirajane and Loke, Erza and Jellal, and Elfman and Freed. Most people seemed pretty happy about their arrangements, so that was good. Also, Gajeel and I were assigned the topic of dragons.

Finally, the boring period was over and Gajeel approached me after class, which was kind of surprising. I honestly didn't see him as the type of person who would bother talking to many people outside of class. "So when should we meet up?" Gajeel asked me.

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**Author's Note:**

**Not very much happened in this chapter, I know, except we were introduced to all of the characters. Next chapter, there's definitely going to be more action, especially with Levy and Gajeel's project. However, I wasn't a huge fan of the way I wrote the last part of this chapter, so I will probably make some edits eventually. Still, I did like most of this chapter quite a bit. Also, don't be a stranger and correct me on any mistakes I made! I'm always looking forward to getting better and writing more quality chapters. Thanks for reading and hopefully reviewing!**


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